MY BIG BUCK

Bang! I had an eight point buck. The broad shouldered beast sprung from the tall corn surprising me as it broke through a thin veil of early morning fog. What a trophy!

It was a prize any hunter would be proud of. But I wasn’t smiling. I had rammed the deer with my van as it bolted across the road.

Less than 45 seconds before impact, I was at a crossroads. Either right or left would have taken me to my morning destination—my friend Robert’s house. I almost went left. I turned right.

My van was drivable; I wasn’t hurt. And somebody even came by who needed the meat. So I continued my travels.

When I arrived at Robert’s house and told him what happened, he started laughing. Resisting the temptation to punch him, I listened. He told me how he had suddenly woken up that morning, feeling he was supposed to pray that I would have a safe journey.
Instead, he went back to sleep.

Why didn’t you pray? He replied, “I figured you knew how to drive.”

I did. The deer didn’t . . . thanks Robert.

Would his prayer have prevented the accident, changed my direction at my crossroads?

Obviously, there’s nothing that says: “Thus saith the Lord, pray and the buck won’t be struck.” More importantly we should ask: “What role does prayer play in my life when I’m at a crossroads?”

The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything.” That seems impossible—especially at the crossroads. It continues: “But in everything, by prayer; earnest, pleading prayers mixed with thanksgiving present your urgent requests to God.”

And then the impossible happens: “And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind . . .”

Now that’s a trophy; that’s what we need when we collide with obstacles at the crossroads of our lives.